Colin
A medieval English pet form of Col, itself short for Nicholas, Greek for victory of the people. In Scotland it also stands in for Gaelic Cailean.
Colin in 2025
Colin was given to 950 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 681st most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 3,490 babies born.
The history of Colin
Colin reached its highest point in 2004, when 5,147 babies were given the name, ranking 144th that year.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 134,151 babies have been named Colin. Half of them were born before 2001, which places the name's centre of gravity with Generation Z.
Colin by decade
| Decade | Babies named Colin | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 46 | 1,533 |
| 1890s | 30 | 1,875 |
| 1900s | 34 | 2,140 |
| 1910s | 267 | 2,004 |
| 1920s | 412 | 1,889 |
| 1930s | 491 | 1,567 |
| 1940s | 1,919 | 698 |
| 1950s | 2,459 | 974 |
| 1960s | 4,184 | 696 |
| 1970s | 7,555 | 440 |
| 1980s | 17,822 | 241 |
| 1990s | 28,364 | 230 |
| 2000s | 39,198 | 144 |
| 2010s | 24,732 | 195 |
| 2020s | 6,638 | 513 |
Where Colin is heading
Colin has fallen 61% over the past decade, from 2,429 babies in 2015 to 950 in 2025.
Names like Colin
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Colin.